A NEW way of teaching children life skills in sport is set to give Welsh youngsters the same start as sporting powerhouses Australia and New Zealand.

A NEW way of teaching children life skills in sport is set to give Welsh youngsters the same start as sporting powerhouses Australia and New Zealand.

Primary school children in Wales will learn more core physical skills to take into their teens as part of a new scheme called Dragon Multi-Skills and Sport.

The scheme will focus on embedding basic physical skills such as agility, balance and co-ordination (ABC) before youngsters move on to specific sports.

It is run by Sport Wales – the national organisation responsible for increasing participation and improving performance in sport in Wales.

And it comes more than a decade after the organisation set up the forerunner Dragon Sport, which was launched in 2000 and now has 98% of primary schools actively involved. That scheme aims to get primary children hooked on out-of-school-hours sport and focuses on eight sports – rugby, athletics, cricket, football, hockey, netball, tennis and golf.

The new blueprint, which it is hoped will establish the “essential building blocks” in early years’ education, will be for children in Key Stages 1 and 2 (primary school ages five to 11) and takes the existing concept further, arming children with more refined physical skills. It will be used in schools, sports clubs and community settings, such as leisure centres.

The launch will take place today at Laugharne Primary School, in Carmarthenshire, and Sport Wales believes it will help youngsters enjoy and feel more confident playing sport.

Chair of Sport Wales, Professor Laura McAllister, welcomed the shift as another step in building on the legacy of the London Olympics.

She said: “We want more children playing sport to a higher standard and more children having the skills to take part in sport and physical activity through their lives.

“It’s important that children have the right skills as young as possible because it sets them on the path for better sporting experiences. At the moment, we have pockets of excellent practice in developing the skills of children but we want to make that consistent across the board.”

The scheme was developed by working with sport and physical education professionals from across Wales and the UK and evidence was taken from countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Education Minister Leighton Andrews said it was vital every child in Wales had a sporting skill base from which they could then excel in their chosen sport.

He said: “Every child should be provided with basic skills from the earliest age in order to take part in whatever sport they choose. It is crucial that we create a generation of children and young people with the competence, confidence and motivation to sustain a lifelong participation in sport.

“Dragon Multi Skills and Sport will complement and support delivery of the physical education curriculum in schools – providing the building blocks for future participation as well as enhancing children’s enjoyment of sport from an early age.”

Prof McAllister added: “If you are a parent and you take your child to a football or hockey session for example you would naturally expect your child to be concentrating on that sport, and that’s great.

“But, we just want to question, can the child play with their other foot? Can they do things with both hands? Can they play under pressure?

“These are the things that will make them more skilful and confident. All children will develop at different paces but we want to ensure they develop the right core skills as they start off a life filled with sport and activity.

“Competition and game play will still be an important part of the new Dragon, with appropriate competition for the child’s interests and abilities being a key part.

“But the resources are structured around the child so that they develop at a pace suitable to them. This also fits in with the model of long-term athlete development that we hope will bring through the next generation of elite stars.”

The new Dragon Multi-Skills and Sport pack includes teaching aides and equipment. The resource pack is now available to purchase online. Visit thewww.sportwales.org.uk for more information.

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